San Fernando Valley serial burglary suspect arrested near Hansen Dam

A suspected serial burglar was in custody Thursday following his arrest in a hillside area of Shadow Hills near Hansen Dam.

Benjamin Renteria, 25, was booked on suspicion of felony burglary and was held on $240,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Renteria was taken into custody just before 11 p.m. Wednesday near Wheatland Avenue and Wentworth Street, the LAPD reported.

A police dog made contact with Renteria in an area with heavy vegetation and began dragging him by the arm before officers arrived to take him into custody. The wanted man had been seen earlier crawling through brush in the area as he sought to evade police.

The arrest ended a three-day search for the man who police believe is responsible for several commercial and residential burglaries in Sunland, Shadow Hills and various communities throughout the northeast San Fernando Valley.

The suspect, who was captured on surveillance cameras multiple times armed with a rifle, was spotted Monday near the Green Verdugo Reservoir in close proximity to the Foothill (210) Freeway on property owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power before he ran away and eluded a police perimeter.

The suspect had not injured anyone during the alleged burglaries but police were worried about the possibility that he could become violent due to the fact that he was often seen carrying guns and rifles.

In one incident, the man pointed a gun at a security guard but did not fire the weapon, LAPD Sgt. Eddie Gutierrez told KTLA5 on Tuesday.

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